This invention relates to a waterproofing apparatus for sealing a cored hole in flooring from water infiltration. The need for such an invention arises from the use of risers, conduit, or the like in the construction of buildings. The risers and the like are extended vertically through numerous stories of building through holes cored into the flooring for reasons such as guiding wire or moving water.
The risers, due to their length, require guidance, and due to their material of construction and content have significant weight. Accordingly, the risers require support for relieving the riser's joints and connections from the load. Additionally, there exists a need to waterproof the holes such that water will not enter the hole and travel down to the underlying floor and inhabitants. Riser clamps are used to support the risers and provide guidance but are not in themselves susceptible to waterproofing the cored holes. Several devices have been proposed in the past having more expensive designs and greater difficulty of use than the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,210,217 to Schodde, for example, discloses a pipe-sleeve used for waterproofing holes in flooring through which piping passes. The Schodde invention uses a sleeve through which the piping passes wherein the sleeve must be embedded in the concrete floor. Upon setting of the concrete, a seal for preventing water or gas or the like from entering the hole is developed. The Schodde invention has several forms all of which are more complicated to manufacture than the instant invention. Most significantly, the installation of the Schodde sleeve is complicated and time consuming requiring embedment into the concrete floor. Upon insertion, the sleeve must be held in place via outside means until the concrete is hardened. The instant invention is installed after the floor is completed, the hole is cored and the riser is run through. This device is installed by simple insertion of the riser into the sleeve and the sleeve into the hole.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,860 to Lindquist discloses a sleeve for waterproofing holes formed through roofing in which piping passes. The construction of the Lindquist invention is of a relatively complex nature requiring machining and welding whereas the instant invention is constructed from stock materials and a molding process. Additionally, it does not incorporate the use of a separate support ring for directing the weight of a riser via the riser clamp towards the sealing area while protecting the main body of the sleeve. The Lindquist invention does not use the riser to help form the seal, it incorporates separate clamping means to establish the seal.